NORTH LAKHIMPUR, June 2 � The chairman of United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), Arabinda Rajkhowa has expressed his desire of not seeing the next generation of Assamese youth taking up the gun as a means of dissent or protest as they (the ULFA) had done, at a public meeting here in North Lakhimpur.
Rajkhowa was addressing a public meeting to felicitate families belonging to the victims of anti-insurgency operation on May 26 at the District Library auditorium here.
He said, �We don�t want to see the next generation taking up arms as we did. We�ve not surrendered nor are we in a ceasefire mode. We have only endorsed unconditional dialogue for peace�.
Arabinda Rajkhowa further said that though the ULFA had taken up armed revolution, it was for peaceful political settlement of the India-Assam conflict. Significantly, he said that the colonial legacy of the present system of governance had forced the outfit to take up arms.
The meeting was chaired by Biswa Baruah, ex-president-in-charge of Asam Sahitya Sabha where the objective of the meeting was explained by Bhaity Baruah. Seventy six out of eighty families of the victims of anti-insurgency operations in Lakhimpur district were felicitated on the occasion where the cultural secretary of ULFA, Pranati Deka also spoke.
In her speech, Deka dismissed the rift and division in ULFA over the peace talks and informed that the general council of the outfit would take disciplinary action on cadres who oppose the peace move.
The political adviser of ULFA, Bhimkanta �Mama� Burhagohain explained the future course of action of the outfit in the meeting. The meeting was also attended by the ex-MLA of Lakhimpur and freedom fighter Sula Borah and Pankaj Lahkar of MASS.
Earlier, the organisers of the meeting were accused of collecting donations for the meeting from select traders of North Lakhimpur without issuing any receipt.
